Archive for July, 2009

The Ravens kickoff the preseason hosting the Redskins. They do so with all their draft picks signed and ready for the first day of full team training camp. No other hold outs from veterans either as they prepare for the season (minus Derrick Mason’s retirement which may, or may not prove to be a hold out. the Ravens would gladly have one in that stat column if it meant Mason would return).

What this has me thinking about is the overall direction of the franchise. All the distractions across the league from players in trouble like Plaxico Buress and Pacman Jones, to the teams that can’t avoid the crazed T.O. show, or are so desperate they’ll engage the Brett Favre hype sweepstakes.

The Ravens suffer no such distractions. John Harbagh just ain’t having it. They draft versatile players who have track records as good teammates. They court veterans the same way. The coaching staff has varied backgrounds, full of guys not afraid to speak their minds.

They treat their fans with respect, remembering that without them there is no team. Ravens training camp, comparatively speaking, offers as good a fan experience if not better than around.

I write this with some trepidation. WBAL TV is the local broadcast partner (in case some how you missed our ample ateadvertising of that fact). I don’t want to be a homer, and frankly, I’m not. The last 20 years I’ve called the Redskins my team when I take off my sportscaster hat and hit a tailgate with friends. You just can’t help but be impressed with how the organization chooses to run its business from Steve Bisciotti down to the P.R. interns. It makes covering the team far more enjoyable.

The wins and losses will vary from season to season, but consistent losing does not seem possible with this franchise, consistent winning hard to avoid.

Enough tennis, on grass, indoors. Mother Nature finds much at fault with that abomination.

Enough quality US soccer. You can’t suck me in with a fantastic performance like that, then not play meaningful games again for at least a year. It’s just rude.

It’s almost time. The July doldrums arrive, but in doing so signal the end is near. Our football famine soon ends.

Ravens training camp kicks off the 28th. We’re shooting a training camp special just three days later. The hitting, the yelling, the screaming, the occasional fight (it’s like we have our own practice without pads.)

Seriously, the diversions of sport that tide us over till football season have grown tiresome. I need the full emotional commitment to following football again. I’ve had enough conversations wtih John Harbaugh in the off season to believe the Ravens at worst equal their level of play from last season. At worst.